Bi Ming

[Distinguished writer Ni Kuang]

Romance novels come and go, but they all revolve around the theme of men pursuing women or women pursuing men. However, it is truly wonderful for couples to work together, and the beauty of such a relationship is beyond words.

[Bestselling Novelist Tian Hang]

As far as I know, novels co-authored by men and women were a pioneering achievement in Hong Kong's publishing industry. When I was a silly young man with a face full of acne, the novels co-authored by Leung Wong-fung and Yeung Ling were spiritual nourishment, satisfying my lonely heart, and I enjoyed reading them very much.

My classmate's drawer was filled with pornographic magazines in the dark, but mine was always filled with romance novels.

For me, it was a wonderful era, a time of pure love between men and women, where physical contact was strictly forbidden, and even a slight bump into someone of the opposite sex would make me blush and my heart race. The romance novels in my drawer enlightened my views on love and even shaped me into a romantic man.

The characteristic of co-authored novels is that they involve the perspectives of two main characters. They are usually co-authored by a man and a woman, like playing a word game, with each person taking turns writing a chapter to lay out the whole story.

As a writer myself, or what one might call a "word-writing and editing worker," I understand the difficulties of writing this kind of novel. Collaborating on a novel is like dancing the tango, or like the "Jade Maiden's Heart Sutra Swordplay" in martial arts novels. The two authors must be in sync, following each other step by step, with a shared understanding, in order to create a masterpiece that deserves applause. The difficulty lies in the mutual echoing and coordination, developing the plot on the same timeline. If one party makes a mistake, the other will also be affected, unable to continue, and the entire work will be ruined.

The Yangtze River's waves surge forward, and a new generation replaces the old. The young duo of Bi Ming and Che Ren seem to have shown me a long-lost art.

"Jiurufang: Let Us Meet Again," a work brimming with local sentiment, flows seamlessly from chapter to section, its emotions enduring and ever-present. The writing is a perfect tapestry, with no sense of discontinuity. If I hadn't known beforehand that it was a co-authored novel, I would have assumed it was written by the same person. This demonstrates the hard work Bi Ming and Che Ren put in, and that they must have reached a state of perfect harmony during the creative process.

Bi Ming is a socially conscious person who brings the everyday life to life on paper, incorporating Hong Kong elements into her works, which are imbued with a strong sense of humanity. Che Ren, on the other hand, excels at writing about emotions, using sensibility to melt hearts, and her inspiration comes from the diverse and fascinating aspects of everyday life in the streets and alleys.

Such a partnership is simply flawless, and the sparks of love they ignite are dazzling.

This book's release has caused a sensation, perhaps even sparking a new wave of collaborative novel writing. I can't help but wait and see!